


You Taught Me Well

by EternalDarkEyes



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Series of Connected Stories, Spread Kindness, Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2020, who knows when this takes place
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27687322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalDarkEyes/pseuds/EternalDarkEyes
Summary: "He slipped his hand into his coat pocket and drew out a square of folded paper. With unsteady fingers, he relaxed its creases and held it open in the dwindling light.The words hung heavy in his hands. His mouth was dry. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight forward. There was a time when he might have foregone talking and settled for silence. But they had learned that sometimes things had to be said for them to be heard. He would have to try."A written and illustrated gift created for the Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2020.
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22
Collections: Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2020





	1. The Agency Worker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cornaceee](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=cornaceee).



> It was exciting being able to write for you, cornaceee. Please enjoy~

The heater rattled awake, disturbing the wisps of hair at the nape of her neck. The extended sigh of the fan was the only sound of life in the quiet room. Tuesday mornings were always slow in the office. Manager Okata was coming in late due to a doctor’s appointment. No clients had come in all morning. The tick of the analog clock on the wall reluctantly dredged its way forward. Each pass it made adding dust to the desktops. 

Man, she hated this job.

The haunting clang of bells made it only worse as the front door was pushed open.

The woman sat up from her previously reclined position. Face stretching immediately into a blaring smile but all she could feel were the bags weighing beneath her eyes.

“Welcome to Iwatobi Travel Agency, where we bring the world to you! How can I help you?”

The words escaped her without thought. The company motto was near-branded on the inside of her skull by now. Help the customer, make a sale, get them out as fast as possible. That was what the employee manual said. That was what Manager Okata impressed upon her. That is what she was supposed to do. 

Straightening from her jolt of a bow, her eyes met the customer’s for the first time.

It was an older gentleman. Clearly not feeble as he deposited his coat on the hook, crossed the room, and took a seat beside her desk with ease. Their clientele tended to be older, unwilling to trust their travels with online companies or current blog trends. The way he was built, he probably wanted some simple tropical vacation to escape the oncoming winter. Nothing fancy like surfing lessons or scuba diving. Probably just wants a book and a warm, ocean view.

“I’d like to go to Italy,” he said, voice clear and confident. He had done this before, she gathered.

“Great choice! Do you have a specific time and destination?”

“This upcoming April. The Amalfi Coast.”

Amalfi Coast in April. Hardly a great time to visit the area. Too cold to swim, frequent rain, and choppy water. What would an old man do there?

Nonetheless, she turned to her computer and began typing away, filling in the entrance form mechanically.

“How many travelers?”

“One,” was the gruff reply.

She glanced his way. The tight line of his lips and falter in his voice. She knew not to press on that subject more.

“For how long?”

“Just a couple days.”

A couple days? Italy was on the other side of the world; easily a 12 hour flight. Customers like him tended to choose a place like Italy to stay for months, relaxing comfortably with their retirement funds. Trying to assimilate with the locals in their temporary home. This trip was being made with different intentions.

“One for Amalfi, Italy next April. Four days sound alright?” she asked. Her fingers worked quickly, moving from dropbox to dropbox with habitual keystrokes. The man dipped his head in approval

“Name and age, sir?”

“Nanase Haru. 63.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Nanase. I’m Watanabe Aya and we thank you for choosing Iwatobi Travel Agency. It looks like we have a lot of options open for airfare, lodgings, and excursions. Do you have some ideas about what you want to do during your stay?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

She paused in her preemptive typing, slowly deleting her assumption of “wine tasting” from the search bar.

“I will take care of my plans. I just need to be there by April 30th”.

His voice, guarded in all previous utterances, softened for a moment. His sight far off beneath drooping eyelids. She added a note emphasizing importance.

“Understood. I can print out my top recommendations for hotels at various price points so you can look over them more easily. We are a couple weeks too early to book flights, but I can get some estimates for you as well.”

“No need.”

“Sir?”

“Just email it to this address.” He pulled a card from his pocket and offered it to her with two hands. She accepted it automatically, mind racing to fill in the gaps as she watched him stand from his seat and walk towards the door.

“S-sir! We haven’t finished the form! We still need to decide your budget and discuss the purpose of your visit!”

He paused a moment before he finished shrugging on his coat and turning back to her.

“For old times sake.”

How curious. Very curious.

The clang of bells brought her back from her imaginings. The runaway client stood at the door. He met her with a placid expression.

“Find yourself another job, Ms. Watanabe. This place doesn’t suit someone who works like you.”

“Ah! T-take care, Mr. Nanase!”

The door closed, and Mr. Nanase was gone.

“Strange customer,” she thought as she looked down to study the business card he had given her more intently. “And the mystery continues- How was he connected to the Tachibana Company?”

The bells called out once again, this time announcing the arrival of Manager Okata. She glanced at the clock only to realize just how long she had been lost in her musings. For what it was worth, Mr. Nanase’s visit had made the morning fly.

  
  


_Its always been hard talking to strangers. But somehow, you always leave quite the impression._


	2. The Cat Sitter

Mom wasn’t there! She didn’t know what she was talking about!

The young man heaved the bag onto his shoulder, paying little mind to the clatter of pellets dancing across the wood paneling. He shoved his feet into a random pair of shoes, and pushed out the door. The hinges creaked in protest.

He was a grown man! Out of university three years! Working like a dog for the company while his older brothers sit easy in their posh positions.

Kicking the door shut with the heel of his foot, he stomped across the front yard and down the steps to the gate. Shifting the weight of the bag from his shoulder down to the crook of his arm, he swung his leg up and tried toeing the latch open with the tip of his shoe. It remained stubbornly shut, rattling defiantly against his efforts.

And here he is, forced to babysit that old man’s cats like he’s some neighbor kid. After that dumpster fire of a phone call and a monster of a mom pushing him to the edge of his sanity, he couldn’t take much more of this.

An aggravated growl started in his throat as he lurched forward, heel aimed to smash the latch, but he fell into a whimpered gasp as the door swung open before he could make contact. The momentum of his kick propelled his entire body forward. Crashing to the ground in a sequence of disjointed stumbles, the man lay now nose deep in cat food.

“Makou? Are you all right?”

Makou skid his face across the ground, peering blearly up to see the face of old-man Nanase. The gods must have had it out for him today.

“Uhh, sorry. Just having trouble with the gate,” Makou stammered, grunting in effort as he rose to his hands and knees. A hand at his arm helped him fully to his feet. Nanase then started leading him up the stairs to his house. Makou made to resist, but Nanase quickly cut in.

“Your nose is bleeding. Lets get you inside.”

The taste of copper that gurgled across Makou’s tongue confirmed this, and he gave up on any ideas of escape. The old man lent his arm, and together they shuffled up the steps to the home at the base of the Misagozaki shrine. Nanase thumbed open the latch of the front gate, and led them inside. A white cat met them at the front entrance. It mewed hopefully at their feet as Nanase opened the door and they entered the home.

Makou settled at the kotatsu, nose tucked deep into the sleeve of his shirt. Nanase left his side for only a moment before returning with a handkerchief and first aid kit. The white cat had been joined by a small tabby and long-haired birman. The three of them sniffed at him impatiently. They were well aware what his appearance and that smell meant, but were confused by the lack of pellet goodness.

Nanase brushed the tabby aside, taking a seat next to Makou. Wordlessly he took the man’s hand and began dabbing a wet cloth at the swelling abrasion coloring the base of the palm. Once both palms were bandaged and his nose had run dry, Nanase offered him a cup of tea before taking a seat now across from him and bidding him to speak with the same unfaltering gaze he’d known his entire life.

Makou sighed. The old man always got his way.

“I didn’t get the promotion.”

Nanase’s stare urged him to continue.

“I got the email this morning. Its ridiculous really. They gave it to the laziest guy in our department. Never answers emails. Leaves the office early all the time. Even fell asleep in a meeting once! But the position and the pay go to him!”

Nanase sipped slowly from his cup of tea, expression unchanging.

Makou took a sip from his cup too. Clearing his throat, he continued.

“So I called my mom to see if she had anything to do with this. No matter what you say, I know she is the reason Kenji got the cushy job he has.”

The older man offered no rebuke. Makou picked up the birman and settled it into his lap. She purred softly as he scratched beneath her chin.

“She was no help. Just went down the same list: I should be grateful for what I have. I care too much about titles. I push myself too hard. I am too critical.”

“But she isn’t my manager!” Makou declared. The birman fidgeted in his lap before darting from his hold to lurk around a corner and out of sight.

“She doesn’t know my work. If she paid a speck of attention to all that I contribute instead of playing CEO with Uncle Ren… She would see that I deserve to be recognized for all that I’ve done for the family. All I’ve ever done has been for the family.”

Makou was shocked when he felt warmth escape his eye and trail down his cheek. Quickly, he swept up the tabby from her perch on the table and buried his face into her back. Both she and his nose protested, but he carried on, squeezing his eyes tight.

“You remind me of someone.”

Makou continued to press his face into the tabby’s coat, wishing to just lose himself in her warmth. After a long exhale, he sat up straight again. Running his thumb across the back of her paw, he called his answer.

“Mom always says that as his namesake, I should--”

“Not him.”

Makou dared look up then. Nanase’s expression had softened. He almost looked pleased.

“Of me.”

The look on Makou’s face must have been telling. Great olympic gold medalist Nanase Haruka looked at him with a smile now. Makou could only gape as he watched his usually stoic uncle stand and gather their empty cups. No matter how he drew the line, he couldn’t make the connection. What setbacks could they have shared? What quirk made them alike?

“Come, lets clean that mess you made before we lose it all to the birds,” Nanase said from the entryway. Makou settled the tabby back on the table before shoving on embarrassingly mismatching shoes and following his uncle out the door. The white cat led them through the garden and out to the stairs. She bounded down the steps and scared away the flock of birds that already had begun to cluster around the spilled food. Nanase and Makou trailed behind her. Nanase stooped to pull the partially emptied bag into an upright position. Makou squatted low and began scooping handfuls of the round bits of food.

They worked quietly. Makou was thoughtful as he emptied his hands into the bag. Sometimes he would glance over at his uncle hoping to spark some sort of memory. He puzzled over every story that he could remember about the man’s life. He investigated every possibility in an attempt to uncover the secret to this uncharacteristic mirth. But as their chore came to a close, he could only draw a blank.

The white cat excitedly bobbed around their feet as they made their way back up to the house. Makou filled two bowls outside and two inside. The white cat, tabby, and birman made quick work of their meals. A rattle of the bowl and a call of “Shachi!” had a fourth cat bounding out from under the engawa to join in on the feast.

Nanase stood next to him as he secured the bag shut and stored it in a cupboard. Makou stood ready to announce his departure but Nanase pressed a bento into his hands before he could.

“Thank you for always helping with the cats.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Nanase ignored him, adding another bento to his offering. “Don’t skip meals. And be patient with that old house you are in. It has seen much life and can’t take many more full force attacks.”

Makou bowed his head as red creeped up his face. Mind buzzing in embarrassment, he quickly made his way out the door and across the yard.

“Makou!”

He looked back to see his uncle standing in the doorway, Shachi in his arms. That baffling smile was there again.

“Its never too late to find a new dream. We will always be here for you. But don’t let family stop you from pursuing what you truly enjoy.”

His uncle lifted Shachi’s paw to mimic a wave. A smile stretched wide across Makou’s face.

“Thank you, Uncle! Take care!”

Makou made his way back down to the old family home, this time more respectfully opening the entrances while still balancing two bento in his arms. Depositing them on the kitchen counter, he grabbed his phone from where he had left it on the table. With bandaged hands, he struggled typing out his inquiry. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he turned on voice commands.

“Search ‘How to volunteer at animal shelter’”

  
  


_Do you remember our first cat? She was the one who pulled you out of that post-olympic slump. New dreams aren’t so bad, huh?_


	3. The Dreamer

To say that Kenji was excited would be an understatement. He was ecstatic; near vibrating in his seat as he rode the bus with his mom. It was finally happening! He had done the research, planned everything out, and convinced his mom with his ultimate persuasion skills. Today would be his first class at Iwatobi Swim Club Returns. There he was sure to meet owner and multi-gold medalist Nanase Haruka. THE Nanase Haruka who broke four world records in a single year. Who swam with the likes of Matsuoka Rin, Yamazaki Sousuke, and Albert Wahlander.

Kenji clutched the jersey knit of his oversized tracksuit jacket even tighter, distorting the “Iwatobi” spanning the seam across his shoulders. His dad had given it to him for his birthday. Said it was really hard to find and was “vintage”, whatever that meant. He swung his legs harder beneath him. He could see it already. He would jump into the pool as soon as he was able. Then he would kick like crazy and show Haruka his most superpowered freestyle. Haruka will be so impressed that he will immediately beg to coach him. And that will be the true beginning of Ono Kenji, world-renowned swimmer and hero!

His heart jumped to his throat once the swimming facility came into his view. He bounded to the bus exit as it came to a stop, tugging his mother behind him. The wind cheered for him as he raced down the road and through the parking lot. He yanked open the glass doors and strode inside, puffing his chest out in his best impression of a big man.

A yank at his collar sent that air out with a wheeze as his mother pulled him to what he realised was the check-in desk. He bounced on the balls of his feet waiting for his mom to finish talking to the lady at the desk, his eyes scanning the area for signs of his hero. A wall was covered with some old timey photos, their colors kinda boring compared to what he was used to seeing. Above the desk were a row of sea animals. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he recognized a dolphin in the line. He giggled to himself. Haruka used to be considered the prized dolphin of Japan. But Kenji knew better. Sharks were the true kings of the sea, and if Haruka were to ever be reduced to a dumb sea animal, it had to at least be a shark.

His mother took his hand and led him to what he guessed must be the locker room. The enveloping smell of chlorine filled his senses. He was so close now.

“Kenji, go ahead in here, find a locker just like you would at your other club, and change into your trunks.”

“They’re called jammers, Mom! And I don’t need to get changed. I’m already wearing them!”

“Kenji… You know you’re going to get itchy on the way home.”

“No, I won’t!”

“I’m going to be on the viewing deck. Be good. Listen to your instructor. You’re class is B-2. Look for the sign.”

Slamming the door behind him, Kenji didn’t care to hear much more of that. He quickly walked through the changing room, depositing his bag and track suit into an empty locker. He could hear the slap of water now and so many voices. Surely the echoes of his audience awaiting his arrival. He marched out to begin his destiny.

...what? What the?!

Babies.

He was surrounded by babies. Little babies walking around in floaties and cartoon characters printed on their swimsuits. That one there was crying. And those ones were having a splash fight. A little girl was kicking while holding onto the edge like a complete amatuer.

Why? How? This couldn’t be right. This was the wrong place or the wrong time. Maybe he was dreaming. Yeah, like that one dream where he rode that dinosaur to space. Things like this didn’t happen in real life.

“Mr. Nanase! Do you have the phone number for Sano Elementary School?”

N-N-Nanase!? He was here. Somewhere in all of these babies and their babysitters was Haruka! This was his chance. He had to prove himself now more than ever. He was lightyears ahead of these kids. He just had to show it. Haruka would understand.

The water was just ahead of him. He took a deep breath then dashed forward. Quickly, he took his stance at the water’s edge, arms thrust out ahead of him with fingers overlapping to create a point.

“Go!” he yelled, pushing off the edge and diving with a splash into the water. As he kicked his legs and began his stroke pattern, a sudden horror took hold of him.

He’d forgotten his goggles. He couldn’t see. 

He dared try to pry his eyes open in the water but he couldn’t find the floor lines or walls. And it hurt! Shutting them tight, he continued to claw his way forward.

Can’t stop now. Haruka would see. He couldn’t let Haruka down like this. He was going to be a swimming star. And swimming stars do not qui-

His hand slapped into something hard. He thrust himself upwards to try to prevent impact, but his vision flared white as his head made contact with the wall. He opened his mouth to gasp in pain but instead choked as his mouth filled with water and burned his nostrils. Something pulled on his arm, and he was brought to the surface sputtering and bleary-eyed.

A while later, he sat with his mom in some back room. They had wrapped him up in some other person’s towel and given him an ice pack for the bump on his head. His nose still burned a bit, but not as much as his eyes burned with tears of shame. He just wished his mom would stop bowing like a frightened ostrich and take him home already. There was no hope for him now. His dream was ruined. Fate was cruel.

“Mrs. Ono?” A man walked up to his mom. Kenji could spy his bag and jacket in the man’s hand. Finally, they could go home now.

“I apologize again for all the fuss. And thank you again for acting so quickly and pulling him out. I’m so grateful that its nothing serious,” his mother said, accepting the bag and handing Kenji the jacket.

“Keep watch for any symptoms over the next few days. Contact your physician if you suspect anything out of the ordinary.”

“Of course. You have been wonderful, Mr. Nanase. Truly.”

Nanase?

“Wait. You’re Haruka Nanase?”

Kenji stared at the man in front of him. His face was so wrinkly and saggy. And his hair was thin and gray too. Haruka was a world athlete. A record setter. A hero! 

“But you’re just a skinny, old man!”

“Kenji!!” 

His mother clapped a hand over his mouth. “I’m so sorry! My husband is a fan of yours and taught Kenji to be the same. But I guess we haven’t quite been clear about when your career was. I sincerely apologize!”

Kenji shoved her hand away. “You can’t be Haruka! Haruka is a hero!” he blurted.

Kenji’s Mom grabbed his arm and made to drag him away. But both were stunned when Haruka called after them.

“Ma’am? Where did he get that jacket?”

“Jacket?” she questioned.

“Jacket?! This isn’t just a jacket,” Kenji rejected. “This is a real-live Iwatobi Swim Club jacket worn by Nanase Haruka!”

“Kenji! That IS Nanase Haruka!”

Kenji struggled out of his mother’s grasp and ran back to stand in front of the man.

“This is mine! My dad got it for me, and I’m going to wear it and become the best swimmer in the world. A hero just like Haruka.”

His mom was about to object again, but stopped when the man smiled. He slowly took a knee and now was face to face with Kenji.

“That is an Iwatobi Swim Club Jacket.”

“I know! I just told you!”

“It used to belong to a good friend of Haruka’s.”

Curiosity stroked, Kenji bid the man to continue with a nod of his head.

“That friend also liked to swim. He swam with Haruka all the time.”

“So? Probably didn’t win any gold medals or anything,” Kenji retorted.

“No. But he was something even better.”

“No one is better than Haruka.”

“This friend was. Because he chose to teach. He became someone who taught others to love swimming”.

“Like a coach?”

“Sometimes.”

“Coaches don’t get medals.”

“No. But to Haruka, that friend was a hero.”

“He was Haruka’s hero?”

The man nodded, his eyes shining.

“And you can be a hero too if you can be kind to others. Be good to your mother. Listen to your teachers. Take care of yourself. And maybe someday you will be someone’s hero.”

“I can be a hero,” Kenji whispered.

“Wear this jacket and live your life like Haruka’s hero.”

“...Haruka’s hero.”

Kenji paid little attention as his mom spoke to the old man after that. He barely mumbled, “take care” as they bid the man farewell. His thoughts were swimming laps across his mind as he and his mom walked outside and later boarded the bus home. Mom was talking to him, but he didn’t care to listen. Instead he ran the fabric of his jacket between his fingers. Pulled the zipper up and down one tooth at a time. Rubbed the ridges of the cuffs against his cheek. Then paused at an unfamiliar texture. Something had been added to the sleeve.

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“What does T. M. mean?”

  
  


_Even now you inspire so many. You have always been my hero too._


	4. The Widower

The graveyard was empty save for the three of them. Ran stepped in to give Haruka a hug, patting his back for a moment. When she stepped away, her hand rose quickly to wipe at her eyes.

Ren’s expression was soft as he watched his sister silently try to compose herself. Slowly, he turned his attention back to the other man.

“You sure you don’t want to come over for dinner? There always is plenty to eat, and the kids will be there.”

Even with age, Haruka’s stare remained sharp as ever. Ren sighed in defeat.

“Of course. Well, it was good seeing you. Remember to attend the next family video call. Makou is right there, so call him up if you forget how to set up the computer.”

Haruka nodded his understanding.

“And please pick up your phone!” Ran pleaded, voice rough and eyes glassy. “Makou’s made it clear that he can’t always be dropping everything to check on why you aren’t answering the phone. The Swim Club called me twice last week wondering where you were.”

Ren looped his arm around his sister’s and gave it a squeeze. She glared at him as she forced herself to take a deep breath. He smiled softly, years of understanding in his eyes.

“I guess what we are trying to say is… We are here for you. We want to make sure you are taking care of yourself,” he asserted. Ran nodded next him.

“Haru, we’re worr--”

“I think…” Haruka turned away from them. He could feel their eyes on him as he trailed back to the family grave. “Its getting late.”

Their combined exhale assured him that was the end of that. For now.

“Bye, Haru.”

“...Bye, Haru.”

He listened to their shoes tap softly upon the stone path as they made their reluctant departure. Those two hadn’t changed even with all these years. To be a Tachibana is to worry uselessly. He couldn’t expect anything different from them..

The sun hung low on the horizon. The barren trees offered no sway or sigh. The stones stood solemn in their rows.

The family had gathered earlier as was tradition. They had cleaned the grave. Lined up their offerings. Said their prayers. And now it was finished and they were gone. There were no more distractions.

He slipped his hand into his coat pocket and drew out a square of folded paper. With unsteady fingers, he relaxed its creases and held it open in the dwindling light.

The words hung heavy in his hands. His mouth was dry. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight forward. There was a time when he might have foregone talking and settled for silence. But they had learned that sometimes things had to be said for them to be heard. He would have to try.

“Happy Birthday, my love.

“I am doing well. I get outside everyday. Cook for myself. Keep the house clean. I’ve always been able to take care of myself. But I continue to wonder why people think that I’m not. I hear it nearly everyday. ‘Take care!’ they say. I don’t need to be told that.

“It was something you would say too. Constantly fussing over me. Worrying about my wet hair or my diet. I can see that expression even now. Your eyebrows tilted up, wrinkling your forehead with lines. You worried so much that at some point, those lines never went away. And I loved you all the more for them.

“You saw people in their entirety. You accepted their good and their bad. You knew just how to be what someone needed in any situation. I watched you help people tirelessly for years. You took care of others with everything you had. And never could I hold that against you.

“There is no use dwelling in the past, but I still wonder, could I have taken better care of you? Made you smile more and worry less? What else could I have done to make things better for you?

“I can imagine what you would say to this. Soft things but with stern eyes. Just like that time.

“You made me promise to take care of myself then. And I have. But what you taught me was how to take care of others. Its as if you’re there with me. Whispering to me what I need to see. Telling me what to say. Giving me the strength to keep listening. To keep reaching out.

“They say to take care of myself. But my mind is so full of you and what you would do that I cannot restrain myself anymore. My day is filled with people and their cares. I see them hurting and I want to be there for them. I’m not you, but because I knew you, maybe I can lighten the weights they bear.

“Your life taught me these things. To see other people; to see their needs. You taught me how to love other people. And you did so by loving me. It is an honor I will forever cherish and continue to share.

“It will be 40 years this spring. I remember the day you proposed to me. After that terrible flight that was delayed for hours. We were both exhausted, but you still insisted we go to dinner. The look on your face when you kneeled next to me and then realized you had lost the ring. I fell in love with you all over again.

“I feel that it is time for me to return to that place. The trip is planned. We had always talked about going back together but life put those plans on hold. It has been too long a wait, but finally I will be taking some time for myself just like you wanted. I know how much you loved that place. Even as I travel alone, I know you will be at my side. I hope people will see this trip as what I truly need to be able to take care of myself. Every minute I spend there will be full of memories with you.”

Tears fell from him, spreading from one crease to another. Meandering rivers hesitant to leave him. He folded the papers back into their parcel, rubbing at his nose as he stuffed the letter back into his pocket. A slow breath in, and a quivering breath out.

“I miss you, Makoto. I love you. And I will continue to live my life remembering how much you love me. Please continue to watch over me and help me to see those who still can benefit from your love also.”

There was an old man who stood at a grave. The sun resigned its last rays, and the ocean sighed its lulling song. In the rustle of the empty trees, he swore he heard someone say:

_Haru-chan, you are going to be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was created with inspiration from cornaceee's prompt list, The Tales of Ba Sing Se Episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and my personal experiences. It's not exactly fluff, and it isn't only angst. Hopefully it was something you were able to enjoy. 
> 
> Readers, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below and consider checking out my other stories. You can find me crying about Makoto on:  
> Tumblr (@ExquisiteWallflower)  
> Twitter(@EternalDarkEyes)  
> Instagram (@EternalDarkEyes).


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